Float Pier 5

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Boston · Pier 5 · A New Vision

Float
Pier 5

Let's make America's first floating urban beach.

See the Vision Join the Movement
4
Acres of Pier & Watersheet
47,500
sq ft of Floating Structure
1st
Floating Urban Beach in the U.S.
Year
Round
Public Recreation

The Vision

The Harbor Has Been Waiting

Boston spent $4 billion cleaning its harbor. Now it's time to actually live in it. We can tear down a deteriorated, fenced-off pier and build something extraordinary in its place: a floating island of public life. Swimming, paddling, saunas, community, sun. Open to everyone. All year long.

This is not a renovation. This is a civic reinvention.

Float Pier 5 Rendering
Pier 5 is a rare opportunity: a blank slate at the confluence of three waterways, in one of America's great harbor cities. We're building the future of urban waterfront life.
The harbor is clean.
The pier is empty.
The moment is now.

Where

Pier 5, Boston Harbor

At the confluence of the Charles and Mystic Rivers and the Boston Inner Harbor in Charlestown. The most connected waterfront site in the city. Today: a condemned, underused pier. Tomorrow: something the city has never seen.

Boston Harbor site context map
Site Context: Charlestown, Boston Harbor
Pier 5 current state
Pier 5: Current State
Placeholder
Site plan for Float Pier 5
The Vision: Site Plan

What We're Building

A Full Life
on the Water

🏊

Swim Basin

A protected 16,000 sq ft floating swim area. Open harbor water, safely enclosed and beautifully designed.

🧖

Sauna & Wellness

Nordic-inspired sauna and wellness facilities, inspired by the great floating saunas of Scandinavia.

🚣

Water Recreation

Kayaking, sailing, pedal boating, paddleboard yoga, splash pads. A full palette of family-friendly water activity.

⛸️

Skating

Seasonal skating transforms the floating deck into a winter destination. Year-round activation for all ages.

☀️

Public Gathering

48,000 sq ft of open community space. Tiered seating. Shaded decks. A civic living room on the water.

🌱

Outdoor Classroom

Environmental education and harbor stewardship, built into the very structure of the space.

⚡

Climate Resilient

Solar-powered. Floating. Designed for sea level rise. A model for the future of urban waterfront infrastructure.

🏛️

Visitor & Interpretive Center

Dedicated classrooms and waterfront facilities for marine ecology, environmental education, maritime programming, and harbor stewardship.

🍦

Family-Friendly Concessions

Waterfront food and refreshments designed for all ages, fueling a full day on the water.

🌳

Park & Playground

Waterfront promenade, harbor viewing, landscaped seating, and a children's play area.

Inspired By

Cities That Led
The Way

Boston won't be the first city to reimagine its waterfront. We've studied the best in the world.

Copenhagen Harbor Bath
Copenhagen Harbor Bath
Model for Urban Swimming
St. Kilda Pier, Melbourne
St. Kilda Pier, Melbourne
Sun Decks & Water Access
Floating Sauna, Tromsø
Floating Sauna, Tromsø
Winter Wellness Precedent
Floating Sauna, Oslo
Floating Sauna, Oslo
Sauna on the Harbor
Paddleboard Yoga
Laguna Beach, CA
Paddleboard Yoga
Darling Harbour, Sydney
Darling Harbour, Sydney
Family-Friendly Waterfront Recreation
Darling Harbour — Splash & Skate
Darling Harbour, Sydney
Seasonal Splash Pools & Skating
Toronto Harborfront winter skating
Toronto Harborfront
Winter Skating

The Site

Pier 5 Today

Acres of neglected concrete jutting into one of the most spectacular harbors in America. Condemned. Fenced off. Invisible. This is what we're transforming, and this is why the opportunity is so extraordinary.

Aerial view of Pier 5, Boston
Pier 5 · Boston Harbor

The Moment

A Better
Plan

The City of Boston has tentatively designated a local non-profit to redevelop Pier 5 into a private sailing center and a massive commercial complex: 60,000 square feet, a 400-seat event hall, a ticketed tourist theater running twelve hours a day, and a price tag of $150 million. The pier itself would need to be entirely rebuilt. Environmentally costly and structurally risky.

Float Pier 5 is the alternative.

A floating public amenity requiring no pier reconstruction, privately funded by civic-minded donors, fiscally realistic, and built for every Bostonian. Not just ticket holders.

Rendering of the competing Pier 5 development proposal
Current Designated Plan for Pier 5

Why Now

Boston Has
Earned This

Boston was developed as a working harbor. And most Bostonians have never once dipped a toe in it.

The harbor cleanup was one of the great environmental success stories in American history. But access to that clean water has lagged behind. Float Pier 5 changes that. For every neighborhood, every income, every age.

Cities like Copenhagen, Sydney, and Oslo have shown the world what a truly public waterfront looks like. It's Boston's turn.

Float Pier 5 Rendering

Get Involved

Be Part of This

Whether you want to join the team, support the project, or just follow along, we want to hear from you.

✓ You're in. We'll be in touch soon.